Wabash Engineer Boots - Natural CXL

John Lofgren Engineer Boots have been among our very favorites since we first laid eyes on them. Originally debuted in 2012, a substantial number of our staff have at least one pair, with a few folks sitting on a considerable stash of different styles from over the years... Made start to finish at one of the best bootmaking factories in Japan, no expense was spared - from development, to fit, to materials, everything is simply the best, without compromise. Every great pair of footwear begins with a good last, and these start from a custom made last designed by John to give a 1950's silhouette to the boot (no toe bump, with a nice taper to the shape). Wrapped around that last is naturall undyed Horween Chromexcel, tanned in the USA - and not just any CXL, John Lofgren Bootmaker select only the best hides from the highest quality grade offered by Horween. Chromexcel cowhide an extremely sturdy and handsome leather that only gets better and better with time. Natural CXL is an extremely dynamic and (in our opinion underrated) leather - finished without any sort of dye applied, the leather starts out a light tan color and darkens over time, gaining a patina from light, moisture, and whatever else you may be walking through. Individual panels across the boots may begin as different hues of brown or tan, and will settle into a more uniform color with time and wear. As far as leather goes, it's thick and sturdy, starting out noticeably stiff and requiring a few weeks of good wear to really break-in. After that, the leather begins to relax considerably, moulding to take the shape of the wearer's foot and softening at flex points to move more easily. The rest of the construction details are on par with that fantastic leather - Japanese steel shanks, British Goodyear welting, and brass-coated steel buckles made in Tokyo. Even the labels are made on shuttle looms. All of this goodness is pulled together and turned into boots at one of the best footwear factories in Japan. If you want to go really in-depth - check out what John at Vintage Engineer Boot's has to say about them. Choose 0.5 size smaller than your Brannock device size. Built on the John Lofgren 110 Last Horween Natural Chromexcel leather Undyed leather USA-made Vibram 705 sole and 700 heel Goodyear storm welted construction Brass buckles Custom woven labels Approx. 12.5" height Choose 0.5 size smaller than your Brannock device size. Made in Japan Built on the John Lofgren 110 Last Choose 0.5 size smaller than your Brannock device size. Choose the same size as your Red Wing Iron Ranger or Alden Barrie last size. Choose 0.5 size bigger than your Viberg 2030 last size.